Card unit for visible card systems



May 6, 1930. R. HOCHSCHILD CARD UNIT FOR VISIBLE CARD SYSTEMS Filed Aug. 8, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVEN TOR.

BY mica? ATTORNEY.

M y 1930. R. HOCHSCHILD 1,757,368

CARD UNIT FOR VISIBLE CARD SYSTEMS Filed Aug. 8, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 122 yen for 773 310 ml /Isr/z dd ilffarbey y 1930. R. HOCHSCHILD 1,757,368

CARD UNIT FOR VISIBLE CARD SYSTEMS Filed Aug. 8. 1928 I5 Sheets-Sheet 5 A TTORNE Y.

Patented May 6, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RICHARD nocnsomnn, or EARMEN, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR 'ro THE FIRM AUG.

- scnmrnrmann, oE ZBARMEN, GERMANY cam) u'ivrr Eon vIsIBLE cam) sYs'rEMs Application filed August 8, 1928, Serial No. 298,292, and in Germany February 17, 1928.

The invention relates to card-units, and especially to index cards or holder-cards, for visible card-systems, in which the card proper and a guide and spacing strip flexibly joined 'therewith, are made to consist of one piece. It is already known in conjunction with cards of this description to bend the guide-strip Z-shaped for the purpose of forming a fold or a pocket to receive the guide-strip of an adjacent card. With these known cards the parts of the Z-shaped bent guide-strip are exclusively connected with each other at the point of bending, the connection being of such nature, that the strip-parts are forced apart owing to the elasticity of the card material. The natural consequence thereof is, that the free edge of the uide-strip is pressed down closely upon the baseplate of the card-index or card-system owing to the elastic action. This fact, however, as a matter of course, renders the introduction of the guide-strip into the fold of the neighbouring card more difficult and together with it the placing of the cards so as to form a straight pile. The result thereof is that, when sliding the cards into one another, it will be impossible for the free edge of the guide-strip to glide immediately into the fold of the neighbouring card, but will be caused to come in contact with the lower edge of this fold, or it may even happen that it is made to glide below the guide-strip of the neighbouring card. For this reason the free edge of the strip requires to be bent up by a special manipulation, so as to render it possible to pass it into the fold at all. This, as a matter of course, makes the formation of a straight row of cards a diflicult andtroublesome matter, which also applies to the subsequent insertion of cards in the row. To this must be added, that the free edge of the guidestrip, formed by the projecting single thickness of the strip blank. is easily bruised, squashed or dented by the cont-act with-the lower edge of the fold which is considerably stronger, which will still further render the introduction into the fold a matter of difliculty.

In the card representing the object of the present invention these defects have been 0b viated by folding a part of the card-blank adjoining the free edge of the strip-part towards the middle of the strip in such a manner, that it is caused to overlap the repeatedly folded part adjoining the card proper, and by firmly connecting the two strip-parts with each other at the point of overlapping, as for instance, by pasting. With this arrangement the free edge of the guide-strip is no longer pressed down elastically upon the base-plate of the index, but is capable of being freely moved up and down within the limits set by the guidlng-grooves with which the base plate ofthe visible card-system has been provided. This so facilitates the introduction of the free edge of the guide-strip into the fold of the neighbouring strip that this introduction, when pushing the cards together, is effected automatically so to speak. If, for instance, when pushing the cards together, the card, the guide-strip of which is-to be made to engage in the fold of the neighbouring card, is held in a position as nearly parallel as possible to the base-plate, then the free edge of the guide-strip will be made to lift itself up so far from the base-plate, that it can pass into the fold of the neighboring card with ease. A contact with the lower edge of the fold of the neighbouring card can only then take place, if the card to be introduced is held in a position deviating from that referred to, or in other words, if the card is held in a position pointing upwards. In this case, however, nothing else is required but to turn down the card in order to remove the hindrance and to be able to introduce the guide-strip into the fold without any further manipulations. In conjunctionwith thenew card, the formation of a'row of the cards, as well as the subsequent introduction of cards intothe row has been rendered especially easy and convenient. To this must be added the most essential advantage, that the guide-strip has been doubled along the whole of its width, and that, in particular, the free edge of the guide-strip, too, has been reinforced by folding or doubling, with the result, that a damage of this edge in any shape or form has been possesses a considerably greater durability than the known card with 'Z-shaped folded guide-strip.

The guide-strip of the new visible cardsystem may be reinforced and stiffened, if necessary, by means of an embedded strip of sheet-metal. The durability, on the one hand, has thereby been enhanced, and on the other hand it has been made certain that. the guide-strip cannot cu-rl, but always maintains the desired flat or stretched position required for the introduction into the fold of the guide-strip of the neighbouring card. The strip of sheet-metal embedded in the guidestrip may itself be stiffened by providing it with a longitudinal strengthening rib or equivalent reinforcing means.

The drawing represents in Figs. 1-5 one embodiment of the invention, in which Fig. 1 illustrates a plan-view of the new card, g

Fig. 2 a lateral View thereof,

Fig. 3a sectional perspective view of the card onan enlarged scale,

. Fig. 4 a plan-view of the blank not folded.

Fig. 5 is a sectional perspective view of a portion of the same partly folded,

Figs. 6 and 7 represent a modified form of the invention, in which Fig. 6 showsa cross-section on an enlarged scale and Fig. 7 a plan-view on a reduced scale, whereby the guide-strip in the lower half of the figure has been unfolded, for the purpose of exposing the insertion to view.

Fig. 8, finally, illustrates another modified form of the invention in cross-section on an" enlarged scale.

Ais a holder-card proper, provided with holding slits a or other suitable means for .receiving--'portions*of one-or more indexor like cards to be secured to said holder card, whllst B is the guide-strip, flexibly connected to and projecting on either side of the card proper. The card A and the strip B conslst of one piece and are made from a single correspondingly stamped sheet of card-board as per Figures 4 and 5. The one part A of this sheet of card-board represents the card proper, the other part B the blank for the guide-strip B. Thejoint C of the two parts 1s provided with a row of small holes 1 placed at certain intervals from each other, or it may also be rendered flexible in any other way, so as to form a hinge upon which the card A may be turned over. Whilst the port1on of the blank possesses the correctdimensions from "the very beginning, the stripblank B only coincides in its length with the length of the complete guide-strip B, whereas its width is somewhat in excess, the width'of the strip-blank B being about two and one half or three times the desired width of the guide-strip B. The strip-blank B 1s subdivided bytwo longitudinal bendinghnes 2, 3 into a middle-part 4 and three latblank, whereas the other part 6 is folded back again at the line 7 in such a manner, that the parts 6, 6 form a fold. Subsequently the lateral part 5 adjoining the free edge of the strip-blank is likewise folded down towards the middle and upon the middle-part 4, whereby this part 5 is made to overlap the lateral part 6*. The two lateral parts 5 and 6 are then firmly connected with each other at the point of overlapping, most suitably by being pasted together. The parts of the lateral strips 5 and 6 resting upon the middle part 4 may also suitably be pasted to the middle-part, which, however, is not absolutely necessary.

The fold between parts 6, 6 serves, as is well known, for engaging the guide-strip of the neighbouring card. When assembling cards are displaced to each other by the distance between the free edge and the inside of the apex of the fold of'a guide strip, i. e. j

put up in echelon order.

The four corners of the strip-blank B may, as shown in Fig. 4, be cut off obliquely,

with the resultthat the vend edges of-the upper wall 6 of the fold are caused to take a somewhat diagonal course, whereby, projecting corners, which are liable to bend and subsequently may impede the sliding in of the guide-strip of the neighbouring card lnto the fold, will be avoided. There is, however,

no necessity for chamfering the corners.

In the embodiments in Figs. 6 and 7 the guide-strip B folded in the same way as in the modification in Figsl-1-5, has been provided with a strip of sheet-metal 10 entirely embedded in the former, the length and width of which essentially coincides with the length and width of the guide-strip. The strip of sheet-metal serves for reinforc ing and stiflening of the guide-strip B. The strip of sheet-metal itself is stiffened by means of a stamped-in longitudinal rib 11 suitably provided, as shown in the drawing, on the upper side of the metal-strip. The strip of sheet-metal 10 is' advantageously pasted together with'those parts of the guidestrip B which surround it.

In the modification in Fig. 8 the guidestrip B has also beenprovided with a stripof sheet-metal embedded therein. The difference consists therein, that the metal-strip in position) the card A itself may constitute the record card. In this case the card is to be made from a material on which it is possible to write, and it therefore requires no special means for holding other cards.

Claims:

1. An index card or card holder for visible card filing systems or indexes having at one end a multifolded guide strip folded so as to present a bottom ply coextensive in length and width with the strip, a top ply,'an intermediate plyjoining said top ply with one longitudinal edge of the bottom ply and extending under said top ply toward the card body and forming with said top ply a pocketfor the guide strip of an adjacent card, and a ply joined to the other longitudinal edge of the bottom ply and extending over upon and secured to the said top ply of the strip.

- plies a car 2.. Card, in accordance with claim 1, characteriz'ed in that the guide-strip is provided with a metallic reinforcement enclosed therein.

3. Card, in accordance with claim'l, characterized in that the guide strip is provided with a reinforcement of sheet-metal enclosed therein.

4. Card, in accordance with claim 1 wherein the guide strip is provided with a metallic reinforcing plate enclosed therein, said plate havin a strengthening rib.

5. index card or card holder of the character set forth in claim 1 wherein the to ply of the guide strip is joined to the card body by a perforated weakened line.

6. An index card or card holder for visible card filing s stems or indexes having at one end a multi olded guide strip, said strip embodying a unitary bottom ply, overlapping top plies united to each other, and an intermedlate pl forming with one of said top d receiving pocket.

In testimony whereof I aflix ,m

si ature. RICHARD HOCH O I LD. 

